May 2012 – Page 2

LOST IN BORONIA

“Have you got a watch with you, Mum?” asked my son. I showed him my watch. “All right,” he said. “Follow us for fifteen minutes. Then turn back, and we will catch up with you on our way back.”

Soon my husband, my daughter-in-law and my son were quite some distance in front of me. All three were runners who were training on a regular basis. My husband looked back once and waved to me. He seemed to be a bit reluctant to let me walk on my own.

However I followed them quite happily and confidently, glad not to have to move along as fast as they did. What on earth could go wrong on a footpath/cycleway? I was thinking to myself. After about ten minutes I reached some sports-fields, where quite a few people had gathered. There was also a large road with a lot of traffic on it. The track I was on, seemed to lead through an underpass to the other side of this busy road.

Close to the sports-fields was a nice landscaped area, which looked very inviting to me. Better to go there and avoid the narrow underpass, I thought. So I roamed about the landscaped area for a while.

The sun had come out a bit. I enjoyed the scenery, thinking about this and that, walking here and there. Then it was time to walk back on the footpath/cycleway. I started walking briskly again. All of a sudden, the area felt rather unfamiliar to me. I was not sure, whether I had really come this way before.

Why could I not remember a single thing about where I had passed before, I asked myself. How could I be so unsure, whether I still went into the right direction? I was no aboriginal, I thought. An aboriginal woman would never have lost her sense of direction as I had.

I decided, I would walk five more minutes. If by then I could still not see anything that looked familiar, I would ask some passerby for directions. A young father came along. He was walking behind his little son, who was on a bike: “Excuse me, could you tell me please how I can get to MANUKA DRIVE?” The man’s answer was: “Sorry, but I have no idea where Manuka Drive is.”

The next person I asked for directions was a woman jogger, who did not seem to be running very fast, so I dared to interrupt her serious exercise. She stopped and talked to me for a while, but she also did not have a clue, where Manuka Drive was. When she continued with her jogging, she called back: “Good Luck!” Maybe she thought, I was completely lost and needed an enormous amount of luck to find Manuka Drive. But I was still confident, that this big road, called MANUKA DRIVE, could not all of a sudden have disappeared. The bus went along there, for heaven’s sake! Why doesn’t anybody know, where this road is? I thought to myself.

Finally I met a woman with two dogs. She told me, I had to go back. The first road to the right was not Manuka Drive, but the second road to the right, that was Manuka Drive. “Second road to the right!” She repeated, as she left with her dogs.

Where I was, the track went into three different directions, but thanks to that nice woman with the dogs I knew now exactly, which direction to take. I saw the jogging woman again, who was on her way back, and I called out to her: “I have to go back!” Her good luck wishes seemed to have worked, since I did know my way now. All of a sudden it was no problem at all to find Manuka Drive .

I turned to the right and there it was, the beautiful grand house at the corner, where the family had moved to recently. When we all had left the house earlier on, the grandson had started doing Thai Chi on the lawn at the back. He was still doing it as I opened the gate to the backyard. “Have the others come back yet?” I asked the grandson. “Not that I noticed,” was his answer.

Well, the others arrived within the next five minutes. Was I glad that I had made it to be back before them!

LOST IN BORONIA (second draft)

I reached a large road with a lot of traffic on it. The track I was on seemed to lead through an underpass to the other side of this busy road. I looked around and saw a pleasantly landscaped area close by, which appealed to me more than this narrow underpass. I decided I would roam around the landscaped area for a while and then turn back to where I had come from.

After about five minutes I was back on the footpath/cycleway. I started walking briskly again. All of a sudden the area looked rather unfamiliar to me. I was not sure, whether I had really come this way before.

Why could I not remember a single thing about where I had passed before, I asked myself. How could I be so unsure, whether I still went into the right direction? I was no aboriginal, I thought to myself. An aboriginal woman would never have lost her sense of direction as I had.

Another five minutes passed. I still could not make any sense of where I was going. So I asked several passers-by for directions to MANUKA DRIVE. Nobody seemed to know MANUKA DRIVE.

Finally I met a women with two dogs. She told me, I had to go back. The first road to the right was not Manuka Drive, but the second road to the right, that was Manuka Drive. “Second road to the right,” she repeated, as she left with her dogs.

Where I was, the track went into three different directions, but thanks to the woman with the dogs I knew now exactly, which direction to take. I remembered “second road to the right” and sure enough, there it was, the beautiful grand house at the corner, where I had started from, and where the son and his family had moved to only recently. After all it was my first visit to this place. If I was going out again on their walking tracks, I would take a bit more care where I was going in order not to get lost again. But BORONIA is a beautiful suburb of Melbourne, no doubt about it, and I love it.

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I wrote about having been lost in BORONIA quite a few years ago. I found both versions in my file. Which version do you like better, the first or the second one?

A SEPARATION

A Persian Film with English Subtitles

‘A married couple are faced with a difficult decision – to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer’s disease . . .’

The movie length is 2hrs. The talk is extremely fast most of the time. Towards the end of the movie my eyes started feeling a bit sore. But it was a gripping movie. The marriage difficulties ring so true. It was filmed like a documentary. The setting could have been in any other country where there’s an established middle class. Caring for an aging parent suffering from Alzheimer’s disease would bring problems to any family.

Anyhow Peter and I watched this movie in the Gala Cinema in Warrawong while Peter’s car was being serviced. Now the car is ready for re-registration which is always due in the month of Peter’s birthday.

Our free standing home is called a ‘villa’. There are ten identical villas in our complex, eight of them owner occupied. One widow in the complex recently sold her house to move to a retirement village. Another widow in the complex gave her yesterday a farewell afternoon tea. We were all invited to this. One of the widows in the complex was prevented from coming, all the other residents could make it, meaning we were four couples plus three single women. A. had everything wonderfully prepared for the afternoon tea. There were seats for all eleven of us around the living-room. The hostess presented our departing friend with a beautiful set of flowers which you can see in the following picture.

I was in a bit of pain during the course of the afternoon. But I still had a good time. The women, who’s departing, has arthritis in both knees! And this for years. So I cannot say yet that I’m a really bad case. Anyhow hopefully I am going to get better again. Peter had knee-trouble some time ago and he got better and is walking/running again quite regularly. Someone in the group took yesterday a picture of Peter and me which shows how awfully crooked my leg looks. I should really be a bit more aware of my posture. I put this picture into the blog to keep reminding myself to become more aware about the way I’m sitting.

I am holding my right knee, which is the one that’s hurting. My left knee is totally all right so far.

Peter and I had our fifty-first Wedding Anniversary in 2007. We stayed at Darling Harbour in Sydney. The beautiful Chincese Gardens were close by. As you can see, we took lots of pictures there

Our hotel was the NOVOTEL at Darling Harbour. We did get a room there for the weekend at a very much reduced price. It had been a special offer on the internet. So for one weekend we had five star luxury!

BILD0356 — The Novotel at ‘Darling Harbour

We bought this bag at Darling Harbour and kept it as a gift to take to Germany

Sometimes we had a bit of rain

It was getting close to Christmas

The entrance to the Chinese Gardens on a beautiful sunny morning

BILD0358 — The Novotel at ‘Darling Harbour

We bought this bag at Darling Harbour and kept it as a gift to take to Germany

Sometimes we had a bit of rain

It was getting close to Christmas

The entrance to the Chinese Gardens on a beautiful sunny morning

A Conversation between Husband and Wife

After breakfast at Darling Harbour they strolled to the Chinese Gardens. She said: ‘How exquisite to have such a place of peace and quiet in the midst of buzzing Sydney!’ He voiced agreement and commented, how wonderfully the trees and bushes had grown.

‘Don’t you think all these spots with watery aspects can make us totally forget the outside world? I must say this outing is a wonderful way to celebrate our fifty-first wedding anniversary!’

‘It sure is great that we can do this. I would suggest we celebrate by having lunch here at the Chinese Gardens later on.’ – ‘Yes, Darling, let’s do this.’

Lunch was excellent. Afterwards they strolled back to their hotel. She said: ‘It is really getting hot now, Darling, isn’t it?’ – ‘Yes, after all it is the middle of summer. Just as well, that we can have a rest at our hotel before going to see our movie.’

As they entered their room they noticed that the bed had not been made. ‘Fancy that, here we are in a two hundred Dollar a night room and they do not bother to make our bed!’ exclaimed the husband. She responded, saying:

‘Well, just as well, since we need to have a rest now. I’m absolutely exhausted and I suppose you don’t mind either to lie down for a bit. Let’s get undressed and make ourselves comfortable!’

Very refreshed after their sleep they ventured out across the Pyrmont Bridge to find their way to the DENDY Cinema at Circular Quay. As they rushed across the bridge, they were caught by a sudden downpour. By the time they reached the other end of the bridge, they were soaked! ‘We are not going to make it to the DENDY like this,’ the husband said. ‘Let’s go back to the hotel!’

They entered their room. ‘Now look at this’, the husband said. ‘The bed is made. And they even put fresh towels in the bathroom!’ – ‘Well, this is a luxury hotel after all.’ replied the wife.

What does God want me to do?

Last Sunday at Mass I was confronted with the above question. As it happened it was a day when I was in quite a bit of physical pain. The pain didn’t start out to be really bad. I would be all right walking to church, so I thought. But far from it. After walking the distance, which took about twenty-five minutes, the pain was getting quite considerable. I arrived at the church at the last minute. But Father was still standing there shaking hands. He shook my hand too.

I happened to find a seat beside Sister Kevin. I greeted her and sat down. I told myself if I could just rest my knee and concentrate on my breathing, the pain would be bearable. I started reflecting on how God probably wanted to tell me something. Maybe God wanted me to make changes to my life as to correspond better with my aging body. What changes to my life should I make? What sort of changes did God actually want me to do?

I was very moved by the beautiful singing in the church. Both Fr Francis Tran and the Seminarian, Mr Stephen Varney, were singing Mass. Both have such beautiful voices! The church choir sang very well too. Stephen was given the homily that morning. He pointed out that for some people the Priesthood can offer a fulfilling way of life. They may think that it might be too hard to stick to being a priest. Even though for most people it is right to get married, you may think about it that it is also often not easy to stick to being husband and wife. It all depends on what God wants you to do, doesn’t it?

Monday has come and gone, so has Tuesday. Today is Wednesday and the pain is still there. I can cope with it as long as I don’t do too much! I cancelled the walks with my neighbour, Irene. I didn’t even go to the pool on Monday or to the Thai Yoga class on Tuesday. Peter could have driven me to the pool. But I declined.

When Peter suggested on Tuesday, the first of May, we could drive to Berry and then further on to Hampden Bridge, I joyfully agreed to this. We had a lovely day out. The weather was perfect for an outing. The good thing was, I didn’t have to walk much. Peter took lots of pictures. I took quite a few pictures too, some of them out of the window from the car.

This leads to Peter’s blog about our outing and another blog about his thoughts to the 1st of May:

https://berlioz1935.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/the-old-and-the-new-australia/

At the moment I do not want to think about seeing the doctor or the dentist or the optometrist. Within the next couple of months I ought to see all these people. Just now I only want to rest and get better.

DIGITAL CAMERA — Peter looks over the coast south of Kiama

From there we drove on to Berry where we had some pies for lunch. We also bought some cake at the Milkwood Bakery. This is a newly opened bakery in Queen Street. They are a branch of the Berry Sourdough Cafe in Prince Alfred Street, which is famous for very good breakfasts.

These are some autumn leaves in Berry and the following picture shows a tree with autumn leaves in this particular street in Berry